Mexican surveillance drone crashes in U.S. Several U.S. agencies, press take part in cover upAMERICAN BORDER ATTACKED, AIRSPACE VIOLATED BY MEXICAN SPY PLANE DEVELOPED AND SOLD BY ISRAEL. FEDS/DHS RETURN WEAPON TO MEXICO. MEANWHILE, DHS CONTINUES GROPING AND SURVEILLANCE OF AMERICANS. STILL THINK IT'S ABOUT SECURITY?See story from El Paso Times

Updated December 17, 2010, 11:15 a.m. CSTby Michele Gaudin & Tom KowitzWhen an Orbiter Mini unmanned aerial vehicle designed for use on military and Homeland Security missions and owned by the federal government crashes into a residential neighborhood in El Paso, Texas, that's huge news. But that's the SMALLEST part of a very bizarre news story that is still developing and that Baldy & The Blonde will continue to cover.If what's being reported by the El Paso Times and Associated Press is true, then something is seriously rotten here.

1. The spy drone that crashed was owned by the federal government of MEXICO.

2. Several agencies within the U.S. government, including Department of Homeland Security, were involved with RETURNING THE MAIN EVIDENCE -- THE CRASHED DRONE -- TO THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT!The North American Aerospace Defense Command would not comment on the incident and referred all questions to the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection.In a statement, Jenny L. Burke, spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said, "We responded to a concerned citizen's call and recovered a small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), which belonged to the Government of Mexico (GOM)."We worked collaboratively with the GOM and other U.S. federal agencies to coordinate the return of the UAV to (Mexico)."Neither Department of Homeland Security or U.S. Border Patrol officials would say why the drone was returned to Mexico before investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board could inspect it.Border Patrol Agent Ramiro Cordero said only that numerous agencies were involved in returning the drone to Mexico on Wednesday."It is an ongoing investigation," Cordero said.

3. The drone reportedly crashed a few minutes prior to 6:30 p.m. local time Dec. 14, 2010 yet apparently the earliest press reports were not published until Dec. 16, 2010.

4. There is very little mention in the national press. For example, as of 12:20 p.m. CST today, CNN had made no mention of the story.

5. The El Paso police cowered to the feds, who told the cops it was not a police matter. The cops took their word for it, failed to investigate (so therefore had no first-hand knowledge whether it was or was not a police matter), and let the feds take over the crime scene. The El Paso Times reported :"I was told that it crashed in somebody's backyard, and that no one was injured. I was paged at 6:28 p.m. on Tuesday, so it happened shortly before that," El Paso police Detective Mike Baranyay said. "We were told it was not a police matter."Baranyay said the U.S. Border Patrol secured the aircraft, which was transported back to one of the international bridges, where it was returned to Mexican officials .http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_16875462

6. The drone was apparently developed and sold to Mexico by our "ally" Israel (with whom, we are constantly reminded, we have a "special relationship." Hah!) The El Paso Times reported: According to http://www./ in 2009, Aeronautics Defense Systems of Yavneh, Israel, planned to sell Mexico's federal police over $22 million worth of its Skystar 300 surveillance aerostats and small Orbiter UAVs.An online site that sells weapons (www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/aircraft/uav/orbiter/Orbiter.html) advertises the same kind of mini UAV that crashed in the Lower Valley. http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_16875462

Tom ("Baldy") spoke with Keith Holloway, spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board on Dec. 17. Holloway said that NTSB did not send anyone to the crash site but is “investigating” the incident “purely from a safety perspective.”

But if NTSB didn't even go to the crash site, how can it be “collecting data”? Holloway explained that “collecting data” in this case means that NTSB is merely receiving data from other agencies, which NTSB will then sort through. “Our involvement is strictly a safety issue,” Holloway said.